HOLYOKE –  After nearly a decade of service to the City of Holyoke, Mayor Alex Morse announced that he will not seek reelection in the coming year.

Morse made the announcement on the morning of Dec. 1, a month before the 10-year anniversary of his first campaign announcement. At the time, Morse was just 21 years old in his senior year at Brown University. When he won the election in November of 2012 against incumbent candidate Elaine Pluta, he also became the youngest and first openly gay mayor in the city’s history.

In a statement released by Morse’s office, he recalled what it was like to stand on the steps of City Hall and announce his intent to run for mayor. “What a day that was. Weeks shy of my twenty-second birthday, I stood in the freezing cold, surrounded by family, friends and I made my case,” he said. “It was the beginning of the most improbable, challenging and wonderful journey.”

In his statement, Morse said his intent in running for mayor was never to make it about himself, but to help the people and the city he loved, and still loves, very much. “It was really all about you. It was about the people of Holyoke. We love our city, we believe in our city and we are fierce in our defense of it,” he said. “So, I argued, why shouldn’t our politics reflect that same passion? Why shouldn’t we aim higher?”

In 2019, Morse did just that: aimed higher. He announced in July of 2019 that he would be running against longtime Congressman Richard Neal in the September 2020 primary election. However, after just over a year of campaigning, Neal retained his seat and Morse lost the race.

Morse reflected on his tenure as mayor and said ultimately he felt as though the residents had come together and “aimed higher” all across the city to make it better. “Think about what we’ve been able to achieve. Think of the neighborhoods that have seen record levels of new investment. Think of the parks we’ve renovated and the new parks we’ve built, and the families who now get to enjoy them,” he said. “Think of all the new housing completed and in progress. Think of the Holyokers from all different backgrounds and walks of life who got involved in the civic life of our community for the first time.”

He continued, and said, “Today, buildings that were once vacant are home to restaurants, housing and artist spaces. Our population is growing again and so is our tax base. We’ve empowered local entrepreneurs to create their own businesses. We’ve improved educational outcomes for our students and we’ve made the city safer than it’s been at any time in a generation.”

Morse also recalled the long fight to get the city’s needle-exchange, the city’s reduction of carbon waste and the expansion of the cannabis industry within Holyoke. “We fought to open a needle-exchange program, reducing overdose deaths and the spread of disease. We reduced our carbon footprint and closed the state’s last remaining coal plant,” he said. “We welcomed the burgeoning cannabis industry, boosting the local economy and taking a stand against the war on drugs. In the face of federal pressure, we maintained our status as a sanctuary city, and made our whole community safer as a result.”

However, despite the numerous accomplishments he said the city had made under his tenure as mayor, he was most proud of the community as a whole and how residents had come together. “But what I’m most proud of is the spirit of the community we’ve nurtured – the way we’ve opened doors to people and communities that long felt shut out and left behind,” he said. “We built a government that reflected and represented everyone, and not only those who traditionally had access.”

Ultimately, Morse said he was thankful that the residents of Holyoke continued to elect him as mayor time and time again. “And I’m so deeply honored that you voted to send me back to Room One time and time again. All the hopes I had on that cold January morning have been vindicated, and then some,” he said.

Morse said when he was initially elected nearly a decade ago, he expressed a desire to serve the city of Holyoke for “10 years at most.”

This, he explained, was what he thought was enough time “to get some key goals across the finish line, and to secure a legacy we could be proud of.” However, he emphasized that he believed “that our democracy works best when we create spaces for more voices and perspectives to influence the public sphere.”

Morse ended his announcement by reflecting on all the changes he’d experienced on a personal level throughout the years he’d served as mayor. He said he’d witnessed the loss of family, friends and watched as people in the city lost their homes to fires. Those people, he said, found a way to go on. “Somehow, in the face of everything, you have all found ways to be generous and unafraid,” he said.

He thanked his supporters for the time they donated, for walking beside him through challenges and for words of encouragement that came in the form of grocery store conversations, phone calls and cards.

“Through all the calls and cards, the kind words at the grocery store, the encouragement to keep pushing for what I believe in, and to keep fighting for a better Holyoke - you’ve helped me get up each day and keep going. In these ways, and so many more, you’ve brought great joy and satisfaction to my life,” he said. “With every story you’ve shared, you’ve helped me see that my time as mayor has meant something to you. Please know, from the bottom of my heart, that it’s meant the world to me.”

Holyoke City Councilor Rebecca Lisi said she appreciated Morse’s years of service to the city. “With Alex Morse announcing that he will not be running for a fifth mayoral term, I want to note that I appreciate the years of service that he gave our city. I wish him the very best in his next adventure,” he said.

Lisi went on to say in recent months, she’d been asked by numerous individuals if she would be running for the position. “I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the confidence and support that so many Holyokers have expressed to me through those conversations,” she said.

Lisi added that she was considering running for mayor, but had not made any firm decision regarding the matter as of yet. “As someone who is always fighting for Holyoke’s future, I am presently considering running for mayor, though I have not firmed up the decision. I have a grasp on the city’s more pressing issues, including the need for significant investments in community development and civic engagement,” she said.

While she said she would be “honored to serve Holyoke in a position with greater reach and capacity for making change,” she needed to be ready to take on the commitment that the position required. While she was already familiar with a commitment to public office, she said, “Taking the step to run for higher office would be a commitment with which my family and I are already familiar, but need to be ready for.”

Lisi said she would not be making a decision regarding a run for mayor until after the New Year, as she wanted to end the year in a mindset of reflection “on the legacy that Mayor Morse is leaving behind.”

City Councilor at Large James Leahy also thanked Morse for his years of service to Holyoke and wished him luck “on his next endeavor.” Leahy said while he too had been approached by people curious if he was going to seek election to the position of mayor. However, he said, while he appreciated all those who were curious, that wasn’t the plan. He told Reminder Publishing, “At this time, you won’t see Leahy on the ballot.”

Council President Todd McGee addressed Morse’s departure from the office during the Holyoke City Council meeting on Dec. 1 during the president’s report. He, too, thanked Morse for his years of service to the city. “Ten years of service, that’s an amazing feat and something to never be overlooked,” he said. McGee also wished Morse the best of luck in whatever he chooses to do in the future.

Reminder Publishing reached out to Morse for comment, but had not received a response as of press time.